Improvement in stamp-cancelers



UNITED STATES PATENT Crrroa.

CYRUS SALADEE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN STAMP-CANCELERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 180,647, dated August1, 1876 application filed Y February 6, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CYRUs W. SALADEE, ofPittsburg, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Stamps for Post-Marking Letters and Canceling thePostage-Stamps on Same, of which the following is a specificationembodying my said invention:

The nature of my present invention consists in securing to the side ofthe ordinary mailing stamp a spring tool, so arranged and operating thatits contact with the face of the stamp or stamps upon letters or otherpackages passing through its mail-s shall so effectually scarify theface of the stamp as to render its renovation and reuse absolutelyimpossible.

I am aware that the mailing-stamp now in use pretends to effect thepost-markin g of the letter or package and the cancellation of thestamp-at the same operation, by having combined with the mailingstampproper a second stamp,'designed to cancel thepostage-stamp by daubingits face with the same ink the postmark is imprinted on the letter orother package. But the utterfailure of this pretended cancellation ofpostage-stamps should be as well known to the Department at Washingtonas it is notorious among the general public. That the governmeutisgreatly and notorious ly defrauded by the renovation and reuse of itspostage-stamps, as the result of its present insecure and imperfectsystem of canceling the same, admits of no dispntefor the reason thatthe ink used for the purpose of cancellation is easily removed by avariety of means Well known to the public, and the stamp is readilyrenovated for reuse.

My invention contemplates the scarification' of the face of the stamps,which at once, and

- effectually, prevents the possibility of their renovation and reuse.

The accompanying drawing is a side elevathe spring actuating the cutterC. The dotted I lines show the movement of the cutter. The handle andmailing-stamp are the same as those now in use, to the side of which issecured, by

pivot H, the curved steel cutter C, the curved face of which is providedwith appropriate teeth E. A spring, F, is interposed, as shown, for thepurpose of throwing the cutter 0 back to its original position when thestamp is raised, after having been struck upon the face of the letter.

It will be readily understood, from a glance at the drawing, that, asthe stamp is struck upon the face of the letter, the point D of thecutter 0, coming in contact with the face of the postage-stamp, is movedto the right over its face, and that in its passage the teeth E willscarify it so effectually as to render its renovation and reuseimpossible without easy detection.

I claim as my invention 1. A post-office mailing -stamp, provided withthe pivoted scarifying-tool v or cutter C,'

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a post-office mailing-stamp, of a scarifyingdevice, D, carried at the side of the stamp B, and from which it has amovement when brought in contact with the postage-stamp to cancel it, asdescribed.

3. The-combination, with a post-office mailing-stamp, of a pivotedscarifying device, D, having a movement toward and from the stamp, and aspring, F, as and for the purpose described.

CYRUS W. SALADEE. Witnesses:

CHARLES W. SALADEE, G. B. SALADEE.

